Getting Lost: Immersive Audio in 2023
When we think of video games, sound quality isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. We think of visuals, gameplay, and story. We think of the social connections we make. We think of the experiences we’ve had or look forward to having. Audio, if it’s lucky, would fall halfway down a top ten list of most important features. We take it for granted.
But that’s an illusion, a deception brought about by audio great enough that we stop noticing it outright. Truly immersive audio fades into the background and immerses you in the world and gameplay. There’s a saying in the content creation world: a viewer will sit through poor visuals, but if the audio quality suffers, they’ll tune out before they can even see what you have to offer. That same principle applies to video games.
Immersive audio draws you in and helps you get lost. It makes the world, the story, the characters believable. It makes MMORPGs feel like living worlds. It makes action scenes visceral and sad moments heart-wrenching. It is the indispensable partner of art, of story, and of gameplay.
And it is evolving. Just as graphics and gameplay have advanced with time, so too has immersive audio. At this point in 2023, games often give you choices for how you want your audio delivered: stereo, speakers, TV, mono, night mode, surround, and spatial. Depending on your platform, you have even more things to consider. Gaming headsets often come with surround sound headsets. Xbox has Dolby Atmos, PlayStation has Tempest 3D, Windows has Windows Sonic with even more options in the Microsoft Store.
And what about speakers and soundbars? What about beamforming and headtracking? What about other kinds of immersive audio experiences, like binaural audio? All of
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